Bible study is back!

I rejoice that the Monday Bible study has resumed!  My little joke is that we have to give up Bible study for Lent, as the pastor doesn't have time with the extra service during the week to lead the class. Now that Easter is over, we are back at it. The topic today was about the relationship between David and Jonathan, dear friends to one another at great risk to their own existence. Devoted friends. Our discussion was about where do our own 'real' friends come from and what do we do to foster those friendships and make more (i.e. at our church).  It was moving for me when I think of the friends I have and have had, many of whom are 'church connected". 

Linda and I go back to her first days as being the church secretary at FG. At one point my former spouse, Linda, and I traveled to Milwaukee to purchase a computer and components, and do some training on software which Linda and my former spouse would use to catch FG up to the 20th century. This would have been before Justin was born!!

At one time in my life I had a bunch of friends unconnected to church, and some things were taking place which were not comfortable for me. I made the decision to narrow my circle and direct my attentions on those other relationships with the same focus as mine. It was not easy or comfortable to do this, but I don't regret it either. 

Okay, so anyway, our group of ladies went to Grumpy's to have lunch after class. I was so glad about this because I was hungry for a cheeseburger and fries, and know how good it is from Grumpy's. Only two of us had the same thing, the rest chose something different, which is cool, in my mind. Such a varied menu they offer at Grumpy's, but I am quite fond of the burger 'n fries there. Always bring half home with me, as I did again today. It's more about the social aspects of us sharing a meal together than anything else, for me, anyway. 

This a.m. I entertained two people at my door, while yet in my nightgown!  First of all, my neighbor, Kay, stopped in on her way to a meeting at PACE to pick up a donation envelope our other neighbor had dropped off at my door last week after the luncheon. Then, Connie came by to collect my empty soda cans and household garbage from the weekend. That is customer service, if you ask me! I don't mind them seeing me in my gown since they have also had to see me in my swimsuit. Ha ha!

When I got home after lunch, I found a lovely gift bag hanging on my door which Kay had dropped off after her meeting. It was a thank you present from the girls of PACE with a framed picture made with their fingerprints, forming a tree. This was a gift for the table hostesses from the luncheon last week, and I am honored to have been able to do it. They also included a card which many of the girls signed, some adding doodles to personalize it even more. I cherish it, and the privilege of being able to do this small thing for the girls. 

"I'm a little selfish"

There for a while I was having a terrible time with my knee, dragging my gimpy leg around behind me. It was unpredictable when it would act up, sometimes when I was walking. Not good. I chose not to go running around in BJ's Club with Nancy when we stopped there before going to the movie just to save my leg for our trek to the movie theater from the parking lot. Thankfully it was a good leg day for me that day so I was not a burden on my friends.

The other day I was walking down the hall to the kitchen and my poor, sick boy noticed I was favoring my leg. He asked me if I was okay and I told him my leg had been giving me a fit all week already. He said to me, sadly, "I've been a little selfish...." because he was feeling so miserable himself with his flu bug that he not even been aware of my 'inconvenience'. I was touched by his expression of regret but I was not holding it against him, certainly, the poor guy. 

One day he also said he wished I wasn't there. How nice! What he meant was if I was not there, he could moan and groan to his heart's content. With me there, he kept it to himself because he didn't want to upset me even more. Sweet guy! Mamas do get upset about things like this, especially when we are limited with the help we can provide. I can run to the store, or limp, as the case might be, and get the TheraFlu and other things to help battle the flu bug but that's it. Good thing our rooms are so far apart---he can moan and groan a bit without my hearing him, and go limping to see if I can help.

PACE Luncheon

Today was the 1st annual PACE Believing in Girls Luncheon, at the Thrasher Horne. As a table hostess I had to get there by 11:15. Nancy W. and Judy rode with me. The luncheon was actually at noon with socializing in the hallway beforehand. I was pleased all my guests showed up and were interested in what this program is all about---the girls!! Loved seeing so many people I know today but wish I had more time to converse and work the room. Oh well...

 

 Lynn and I in deep discussion. You can see my food plate in front of me. Each plate exactly the same.

 Here's Nancy W., Judy C. and my neighbor, Rosemary

 Ollavan, Debbie, and Lynn 

 My neighbor, Rose, Peggy my dentist/friend, and Ollavan 

My friends Terreca and Nancy W.

The Mistress of Ceremonies, Vera Jones, was a wonderful speaker and had a remarkable voice. I could have listened to her all afternoon. She is a motivational speaker and an author besides being on ESPN. The guest speaker, Melinda, was a local attorney who graduated from PACE Jacksonville, went to college and then law school, and started her own practice. She just returned last night after attending a meeting at the White House---pretty impressive for a PACE girl. Glad some of the girls were in the room to hear her amazing story. 

After the event, I dropped Judy off at home and then Nancy and I went to Winn Dixie to get Justin some more medication and other food items to help him feel better. I picked up some TheraFlu both for daytime and nighttime, plus got a new thermometer. The last time Justin was sick, after Christmas of 2014, the old thermometer broke in his mouth! This one is digital, less likely to break than the old fashioned one. I got him a strawberry rhubarb pie which he loves, plus Nancy directed me to the deli where they sell Panera brand soups. Justin loves broccoli cheddar and since he's not eating much thought he might like some. Got three containers for him, plus some ready-made Jell-O.  

I got my stuff carried upstairs and put away, giving Justin the items he needed, and then to my desk for a while. It's newsletter time for The Palace, having sent out the church newsletter yesterday. Judy and I are planning to attend the choir concert at Victory tonight, the WI Lutheran Seminary Chorus. This is a huge treat for us and hope the turnout is good. I sent out a reminder to our members to make sure they remember to go. Looking forward to it!

What a nice day I had!

My day began with a stripping of the bed, right down to the bare mattress. Yes, today is the day my mattress set was being delivered! I put my comforter in the dryer on fluff to set if I could get the dust out of it, or at least, some of it. The sheets, pillow cases and my extra blankets went into the machine to be washed. My window for delivery was between 9 and noon, with the salesman saying it could even come at 11:50 and still be within the parameters. I was going to be ready!

It was only a few minutes after 9:00 when the phone went off, the delivery man calling that they'd be here in a just a few minutes. Wow!  And the two fellows very graciously put my dust ruffle back on for me before placing the mattress in place. I was so glad to be first on the list because Nancy W. had invited me to breakfast and then to a movie today. I feared I'd be here waiting for the mattress while Toni and she were off having fun without me. As it turned out, the two ladies came for me just as the delivery guys were leaving. Perfect timing! 

We went to Pengree's for breakfast, just delicious, and then stopped in at Ross because Toni needed to pick up some pillows. I managed to find a new swimsuit and a cover up so I am now ready for pool season! It was Senior discount day so on top of our discounts we got an additional 10% off. That never hurts! From there the two ladies had to make a quick stop at BJ's as Toni needed coffee and Nancy got toilet paper. I waited in the car since my knee was bothering me, like a true senior citizen! 

Here's Nancy holding my new swimsuit

We got to the theater just in time for the previews. Tuesday was the discount day at Carmike, too, getting Sr. pricing for the tickets and concessions. I did buy the $2 popcorn but barely made a dent in the bag. I brought it home but wonder if I'll even try eating it. If we hadn't just had that sumptuous feast for breakfast, I might have done better on it. The soda lasted me through the movie, too. We saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which was cute enough. I even shed a few tears, of course. It was nice to see all the characters reprise their roles again, some of them hardly aging at all from the original. Cute movie!

Nancy and Toni dropped me off at home following the movie. My first task once upstairs was to put the new mattress protector on my bed, and then make it up the rest of the way. What a work out, especially with a sore knee. Now I am settled in and ready to go to sleep on my new mattress. It is so firm, quite the opposite of my squishy pillow topped one bought in 2004. This new set has a 10 year warranty and I hope it lasts that long, as I really don't like to spend money on such things as this! Good night, all!

He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Christos anesti!  Christ is risen! My neighbor, Gus, taught me to say this at Easter. I can say it to him now but it would be premature, as Greek Orthodox do not celebrate Easter for a week or so yet. Different calendar for them, I guess. Anyway, he taught me and I love it!

The day began with sunrise worship at 7:00 and I left with plenty of time to spare. I took my egg souffle which was baked last night along and the chocolate crosses for the kids at church. My souffle was placed in the oven to hold it until breakfast.The chairs were still being set up when I arrived so I went into the church to put the crosses in the mailboxes. When I came out, my friend, Maggie O. was coming up the sidewalk. Yay! She brought her sister, Mary, and friend, Shirley with her. A few years ago Maggie and her daughter had joined us for sunrise worship so she knew what to expect.  It was 'warm' out, low 70's and quite humid, didn't need our sweaters at all!

We had a baptism at the sunrise service and I was glad of it especially for our visitors. This young couple are our newest members having been confirmed and accepted into membership a couple of weeks ago. They waited to baptize their son until family could come down. 

Next we had Easter breakfast which was wonderful. My favorite was the sausage gravy and biscuits, made by Judy C. I sat with Maggie, Mary, and Shirley and had a wonderful visit. At one point, Shirley asked me who the lady was at the buffet line, she looked so familiar. When I told her, Shirley realized LuAnn was her cousin!!! They had a great reunion and spent the rest of the time catching up with each other. They hadn't seen one another since about 2001 or 02, at least it was in this century. Funny how that happens, living in the same town and all that.

Centerpieces made by the preschool kids and staff

I had to excuse myself from our visit to go rehearse with our little choir. We had grown from three ladies on Thursday to 8 people plus my goddaughter, Sarah. Adding a male voice, Paul's, was great, as he is a strong singer. I sang solo on the first stanza of "In Christ Alone", being nervous in rehearsal but sang more confidently in the service. I had given Terri the head's up that we were singing this hymn in the service because it is special to her, used in her dad's funeral. It helped calm me to sing out in her direction plus praying for courage. It worked, the solo and hymn went nicely. 

We had 30 non-members in worship for the Festival Service, not all of them first time visitors. I couldn't keep up with greeting everyone between the choir rehearsal and recording attendance. Before the procession of the cross, the choir sang "Were You There?" so I had to be in position about 5 minutes before the service. Busy busy morning!

Justin was not able to join us for worship, still feeling the effects of the flu. I texted him at one point and he was awake, reported that the sweats had stopped but he was still quite weak. This would certainly mean no Easter buffet for him, so it was only Nancy M. and Nancy W. with me at the table. We got royal treatment and enjoyed our meals. The other two ladies liked the accompaniments very much while I went to the carving stations to get prime rib and ham, plus a roll and mashed potatoes. I did have a giant carrot chunk but none of the other sides were really for me. Seafood is not my thing, but I certainly did not leave there hungry! For dessert I took a slice of French silk pie which I simply could not finish. The best part of the meal was the time with my friends and seeing so many people I knew, including my "fiance", Bob, and his family. 

Haley, our waitress, took this photo for us. In the background, beyond the man in the brown suit is Bob. Every time I talk with him he claims to be quitting The Club, but he keeps showing up! 

It was a busy and full day, in more ways than one, for me. Justin was starting to recover, but still felt feverish a bit, and weak. He found that having caffeine helped with his headache, and did eat some of the beef and broccoli I got him the night before. He would have none of the chicken and rice soup I ordered for him, though. He wanted egg drop soup but I figured the chicken soup was the way to go for a sick guy. No worries---I'll eat it!

So proud of me!

Contrary to what my mother seems to believe, I am not a fan of shopping. When I am with my sisters or Linda, I don't mind going shopping with them, and then often will stock up on things for myself, get a couple of new tops and perhaps a pair of slacks. Justin enjoys grocery shopping and occasionally we will go together, depending upon the situation. Otherwise, he'll just go without me, taking our list with him. 

At last I finally decided to get off of 'stop' and begin the process of looking for a new car. Terri and OJ took me to AutoNation to look at the Fords on Thursday night and then I went to the Toyota dealer on Friday. It was there I made a deal and got a new car. Saturday night as Nancy and I were eating the dinner I made for us, I mentioned that my mom wondered why I all of a sudden decided to get a new car. All of a sudden?? Nancy said, "You've been talking about getting a new car as long as I've know you!", which will be 3 years in June. Usually all I do is talk talk talk, and at last, I have done it, got the process behind me. Whew!

Two weeks ago Nancy and her friend, Toni, and I were going to the nail salon to get pedicures but we ran into a conflict with the Flying Noodles luncheon. Nuts! I was long overdue to have mine done, the last time being when I was in WI after ThanksLiving. My feet were looking tough! Saturday after dropping some stuff at the Toyota dealer and at the CPA, I decided to not go straight home. I stayed on the road and went to the nail salon. They offer a basic pedicure for less than $18 which is a great deal. For the fun of it, I decided to have a manicure, too, since my hands were also looking tough. 

Today, again after taking care of something at the car dealer (getting some paint touched up), instead of going straight home, I made myself go up Blanding to the mattress store. One right next door to the other---how does one decide? I chose the one I'd heard advertised on the radio on the weekend, with mattresses more in accord with my price range. Nancy W. just bought a king-sized adjustable bed and when she told the price, I blacked out. NO WAY! I refuse to pay so much for a mattress and box spring. I don't recall how much my present mattress cost (not sure where to locate that paperwork anymore...) but it has been nearly 12 years. I've talked about replacing my mattress for some time as mine has a belly from my butt, so this purchase was also not all of a sudden. 

I managed to get free delivery plus the guys will haul off my old set when they deliver and set up the new one. I could not get the salesman to commit to having the guys put my dust ruffle on for me, but he said he could be bribed to come over and do it. I told him my son would help me. He gave me the sale price even though it ended officially on Sunday. Now, I know sales people so I probably didn't get too much 'thrown in' but I like thinking that I did cajole him sufficiently. 

I love my iron bed and didn't want to part with it!

So, while it seems like I've been on a spree, it is not necessarily the case. Simply I am at last taking care of stuff on my list of things to do, items not particularly enjoyable to handle, and have now gotten them out of the way. Unfortunately, my new mattress won't last me 35 years like the car might, but I did buy the one with the 10 year warranty. No automatic bed for me, standard is just fine with me. I like my headboard and footboard so much that I didn't want to change them out. The adjustable beds don't allow for them, and besides that, they are simply too expensive. 

If I am satisfied with the mattress and the service, I can earn more pillows or something for a referral. How about that? I do hope it works out well for me as I do spend a good deal of time in and on my bed, there is the challenge!

Emotionally charged

One of the readings today, Palm Sunday, was from Luke 19, the story of the Triumphal Entry of the Savior into Jerusalem. There is a passage in that reading so special to me, and I'll tell you why:

Back in 2002, Justin and I went ahead of my former spouse to WI for Christmas. I remember sitting on the floor in Mom's guest room and doing my gift wrapping. Already then I had my gifts purchased online and shipped directly to Mom's which saved the carrying of them, etc. But, that meant dedicating a good portion of time to wrapping in one fell swoop. Justin must have been in the living room or was perhaps off with someone in the family, but I know I was alone. All of a sudden the portion of Scripture crossed my mind, guess I was thinking about Timmy, this being only our 2nd Christmas without him. "...the Lord hath need of him."  

This reference is, of course, about the donkey for Christ to use for His entry to Jerusalem, but I found it particularly comforting when thinking about Timmy and they reason he was called home. "The Lord hath need of him." I wept as I wrapped, thinking about it, and do recall giving my pastor/friend a call to talk to him about it. I was so glad to have the privacy as I sobbed this out because I was trying hard to not bring down the mood for the holiday. The passage brought/brings such great comfort. On Good Friday, another such passage will be read, which I cherish:"...today thou shalt be with me in paradise." What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

One of our communion distribution hymns today was "I Lay My Sins on Jesus" which I really like, even though it breaks the 'rule' of: "If it's about me, it's not about Thee."  The fourth stanza is the one which gets to me where we sing how we long to be like Jesus and then long to be with Jesus: 

I long to be with Jesus,

Amid the heavenly throng;

To sing with saints His praises,

To learn the angels' song.

We also sang another favorite, "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness", the 2nd stanza my favorite. Such good hymns again today!